Burning Will of the Inner Flame
by Twon777
Summary: They say destiny can't be changed. Watch as Naruto make an unlikely friend and change his fatal destiny.
1. Prologue: Glimpse of the Future

Hey everyone. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. This is my first real story and I welcome all reviews and constructive criticism. I'll even take any ideas you could offer me to improve this story.

Note, this fic is not a:

Super Naruto fic. Having him strong enough to beat someone as strong as Zabuza alone by age 12 is just boring, both to read and write.

Bashing fic. Now there are characters that I don't like or even can't stand but, regardless of anyone's opinions, myself included, I treat everyone fairly and equally, bastards or otherwise.

Harem fic. I like Naruto harems as much as the next guy but you won't see it here.

This fic is mainly like the original. Action, adventure, comedy with a little bit of drama and tragedy. Maybe some fan service thrown into the mix too.

Now that the boring stuff is out of the way, let's get on with the story.

Disclaim: I am only going to say this once and that is it. I do not own Naruto or any other anime and/or manga referenced in this fic. All characters and concepts belong to their original creators. This story is only used for entertainment purposes and nothing more.

Normal Speech

_Inner Thoughts_

**Demonic and Summons Speech**

_**Demonic and Summons Inner Thoughts**_

Burning Will of the Inner Fire

Prologue: Glimpse of the Future

~*~*~

"There are many things that are said about destiny. Some say that destiny is written in stone and cannot be altered while others say that if you are persistent enough, you can write your own destiny. The power to change ones destiny is not easy to come by. There are those who search endlessly for ways to defy it but very few have been successful. Not many people know, however, that all it takes is one small event to forever change the future. Will it change for better or for worse? That, my friend, is another question entirely."

~*~

It was a beautiful day. The early afternoon sun shined brightly on a small market village in the Land of Noodles. Booths were set up at several locations around the village, each with different merchandise to sell to happy costumers. Despite the flourished activity of the village, it was not crowded. Everyone out that day is cheerful and even comfortable talking to complete strangers about random subjects. The many different food venders caused many delicious aromas to waft through the breeze that could even cause a noble to dine with the commoners. No one knows this better than one man being accompanied by two others.

This man stood 179 cm tall with spiky blond hair and calm, ocean blue eyes. He, like everyone else in the area, was enjoying himself greatly. However, if you were to look closely, you would be able to see great power and authority emitting from him. This man was Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure. To his left, hanging off of his arm, was the woman he loved with all of his heart and soul. At full height she stood 165 cm tall and had long red hair and exotic, violet colored eyes. Her pale skin was shaded by a straw hat placed on top of her head. Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, a former kunoichi of a small village in the Land of Whirlpools and holder of the current Hokage's heart. Both of them were dressed in civilian clothes in order not to gather attention. That, however, could not be said about the third person in this outing. This man towers over the other two at 191 cm in height with long, spiky, white hair that reaches down his back. On his helmet like headband read 'Myobikuzan' and on his face were two red lines that reached from his eyes down past his cheeks. This man was none only than the Toad Sage Jiraiya, one of Konohagakure's most powerful ninja and teacher of one Namikaze Minato.

Jiraiya was deep in thought as the three of them walked together from shop to shop. His thoughts were occupied by the flop his new book, 'The Tale of the Utterly Gusty Shinobi.'

"I just don't understand it," he said out loud to no one in particular. "I had put all of my knowledge of ninja arts into that story. I just don't understand how it could fail so horribly."

"Don't worry about it so much, Jirayia-sensei," reinsured the young Hokage. "I thought it was a great story. Very action packed and heartwarming. Actually, the hero- What was it again? Maruko?"

"Naruto."

"Yeah him! He resembles a certain shinobi I know myself," he said as he nudged Jirayia with his elbow with a sly smile on his face.

Kushina just giggles at her lover's behavior. "Jiraiya-san. It looks like you found your first fan."

"Seriously! The book was great," Minato exclaimed before his eyes soften. "I had hope our child would become as great as shinobi as the one in your book."

Kushina rubbed her belly as he said that. Even though you could not see it very well, she was two months pregnant. Jiraiya let out a low chuckle.

"Oh? And how do you know it'll be a boy? What if it turns out to be a cute little girl?" Jiraiya ask with an amused smile on his face.

"No. This will be a boy. I can feel it," Kushina stated softly. Jiraiya just couldn't argue with resolve like that. "I think I have the perfect name for him," she said.

"Naruto…" Minato said aloud as if he knew what his lover was thinking.

"Yes, Naruto. It's perfect," She stated rubbing her belly once more.

Jiraiya just laughed. "If you're going to name him after my main character, then that means I'll be the godfather. You sure you want that?"

Minato chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Things were mostly silent between the three after that. Other than the ambience and passing short conversations, they walked on in relative silence checking out the stores and booths that were around. After some time, Kushina asked Jiraiya to accompany her into a store while telling Minato to stay outside. Those two went inside leaving Minato scratching his head in confusion. He wondered why he was asked to stay but didn't think too much of it started looking around. That is when his eyes came across a navy blue tent in between two stores. The sign on top said but one word. 'Fortune.' Not only was he curious but he felt some invisible force pulling him towards the mysterious tent. Pushing the flap of the tent out of the way, he announced his arrival and walked in.

He saw a figure in a cloak sitting in a chair at a small table with another chair at the opposite end. He could not see the figures eyes as it was shadowed by the cloak but could tell it was a woman from the rest of her facial features that was seen in the light of a single candle on the table. She looked to be middle aged but that was all he could tell.

"Welcome," She said in a low husky voice. It had a bit of an exotic quality to it. "Would you like to know about the time that has yet to come?"

He wasn't a big fan of fortune telling. All these so called fortune tellers do were tell people what they wanted to hear for small bit of change. But there was this feeling he had that just didn't escape him. For some reason, he wanted to hear what she had to say. "How much?"

The woman gave a low short laugh. "I do not offer a price but merely wish to share my gift with others." That was when she motioned to the chair opposite of her. "Please, have a seat and give me your hands."

He blinked in surprise. 'That's new,' he thought. He followed her directions and gave her his hands which she gripped. Her eyes were closed and she began to breathe deeply. "I see a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He appears to be one of great power. This man is facing a power demon. Its tails are numerous. The beast is causing great destruction to the young man's home. This young man seals the demon away, but as a result loses his life."

Minato was borderline outraged. He was about to leave but his hands were held strong by the mysterious woman. "The reading is not yet over, young one." The tone of her voice, he could not explain it but he felt that he should listen to the rest.

"I see a young boy with the same blond hair and blue eyes as the young man alone in a world of suffering. This boy holds a great evil power within him. He is shunned by his home and ridiculed by his peers. However the loneliness does not last as he begins to be accepted. I see him fighting. Fighting against a powerful opponent. Fighting alongside someone. However, this boy takes an attack that was supposed to be taken by another. This boy loses his life protecting someone important to him. But it does not end there. The evil power inside the child wakes up and is released. It is angry. So very angry that it was sealed away. Its anger will cause great destruction across the entire country and even the entire continent. No one will be able to stop it. The world will be in great danger and even be destroyed."

There were very few things that could shake the Yondaime Hokage. However, there was a seed of fear sown in his heart. He did not know what to make of it.

"This is not only a reading, young one, but what is actually to come. Now that you know the dreadful future, only you can change it." That was when he saw her eyes for the first time. They were very serious with a hint of sadness in them. But the most noticeable feature of those eyes was that they were a dull gray. This woman was blind. She then releases Minato's hands. He just sat there in silence for a few seconds. Slowly he stood up and bowed before leaving the tent without a word.

"Once you look into you future, it changes to another future," the woman said aloud once he was out of earshot. "What will you do now, Hokage-sama? Will you have someone else seal the demon in your child or possibly even another child? Will you have him sent away from the village to live happily? Whatever choice you make will determine the outcome of this world." The light of the candle was then snuffed out by and unseen force and darkness reigned inside the tent.

~*~

Minato walked back to his original spot only to see his love and his sensei standing there. He quickly put on a smile and quickened his pace to catch up with them. Both Jaraiya and Kushina notice something was off about Minato but could not tell what is was. If there was one thing the young Hokage could do, it was hide his emotions well. They wanted to ask him but decided against it. The Hokage had many responsibilities and wouldn't be right if those not even in the counsel interfered.

He took one more glance back at the tent only to find it no longer there. It simply vanished as though it was never there in the first place. All that was left with him was the tale of his future along with what he believed to be his son's future as well. He had much to study when he got back to his office. He had to find a way to prevent this catastrophic future.

~6 months later~

"Hokage-sama! The beast has broken through the first wave!"

This wasn't supposed to happen. Months of planning and research was supposed to prevent him from using this plan.

"Hokage-sama! The second wave has been demolished!"

He was supposed to be strong. But he couldn't even change his destiny.

"Hokage-sama! We can't hold it back much longer! It's almost to the village!"

Here he was, the Yondaime Hokage, one of the most powerful ninja in the entire world. Yet he could do nothing to change his son's future. If only he had more time. If only he had gotten that reading a couple of months earlier…no…there's no point in dwelling in 'what ifs'. There was nothing else he could do. After all he has to do this for the sake of his village and his son. It was the right thing to do…wasn't it?

~*~

"Hold the beast back until Hokage-sama arrives!"

Dozens of ninja are on the outskirts of the village using ninjutsu and different throwing weapons to hold back the infamous Kyubi no Yoko. This fearsome beast, made entirely of chakra, has already destroyed a section of the village and killed hundreds of ninjas. With a mighty roar, Kyubi swung one of its many tails. The force of the swing caused the wind to shift and send out a gale at the attacking humans causing several deaths and even more wounded. Kyubi roared again, about to attack a second time and end this once in for all. All of a sudden, "Poof." A toad about the same size as the fox stood in front of it with another one of those humans on top of its head. The demon fox growled at the new threat and was about to take him out just like the rest of those pitiful humans. With a loud roar, it charged at the human and toad, expecting to end it in one blow. Its charge was caught by the massive toad and they both stood at a stalemate.

That was in it felt it. Searing pain unlike anything it has felt before. It fell to the ground and let out a pained roar, still not leaving the toad's grip. It felt like its entire essence was being pulled apart right down the middle. That was when Kyubi saw it. Right behind that despicable human was the shinigami with one gripping the jagged blade in its teeth and the other hand plunged inside of the retched human. The pain subsided bit by bit as it was losing consciousness. Kyubi could not believe it. The most powerful demon that walked this pathetic planet has been defeated by a lone human. That was the last thought as darkness reigned in its vision.

~*~

The village has been saved at the cost of its beloved leader. Elsewhere, a lone infant began to cry out into the night surrounded by candles. It was a boy with blond hair and ocean blue eyes. The most striking features, however, were the three 'whisker' marks on each cheek as well as the intricate pattern around its navel. This infant boy was Uzumaki Naruto, the container of the Kyubi no Yoko. Its crying subsided as the infant fell into a slumber. In the shadows a cloaked figure can into the light.

"Young Uzumaki," the cloak figure said in a husky feminine voice. "It is your destiny to die at a young age. However, I am here to offer you a new path." She reached out her hand and touched Naruto's forehead with her index finger. At that moment, her finger ignited into a small flame though it did not seem to burn or cause any pain to the new born boy. After a few seconds the flame died down and the cloaked woman returned her hand to her side. "I have given you the instructions you need in order to live. It will be your choice to follow them when you grow older."

She took a step back from Naruto as he continued to sleep on. Suddenly her feet began to fade away as if she was made of smoke. Slowly, the rest of her body started to fade in a similar fashion. "Be well, young Uzumaki. I pray for your survival and that we do not meet again for quite some time." She then removed the hood of her cloak. She was indeed a woman and seemed to be middle aged. The most noticeable thing about her, however, was her gray eyes. It was at that moment she faded away into the darkness, not even leaving a trace of her existence.

~*~*~

Thank you for taking the time for reading the prologue of my first story. As I said earlier I will answer all questions as best as I can without revealing my plot.

For the height, if you're not good at converting centimeters to feet it would show as follows:

Minato- 5'10

Kushina- 5'5

Jiraiya- 6'3

The next chapter will be out in a couple of weeks at the most. Please give me your honest opinions but please keep it reasonable.


	2. A New Friend

Well I didn't expect much. It is just the prologue of the story. Ok not much else to say here so let's start the next chapter of the story.

Burning Will of the Inner Flame

Chapter 1: A New Friend

~*~*~

It has been several years since the defeat of the dreaded Kyubi and the village was close to looking what it was before the attack. It was late morning and the sun shined as a spring time breeze blown through the village. A relaxed aura seemed to be emitted from the village itself as the people and nature seemed to be in perfect harmony. It was as if the world was telling everyone in the village that this would be the perfect time to relax.

"Get back here you brat!"

Well that didn't last long. Boisterous laughter filled the air as a grown man seems to be chasing a young boy with a broom. The boy was incredibly swift for his age as he ducked and weaved through the people to outrun his pursuer. This boy was wearing some navy blue shorts with a white T-shirt will a spiral on the back. His golden blond hair shined in the high sun as his blue eyes held such mirth at his deed. But if it was one thing that stood out the most, it would be the 3 'whisker' birthmarks on both of his cheeks. This young boy was unknowingly the container the held back the horrible demon that wanted nothing more than revenge on the humans for sealing him inside of this child. This boy was Uzumaki Naruto, age 7.

"When I get my hands on you, I'll make you pay for all of my damaged merchandise!" the grown man shouted at the fleeing boy.

"Give it up, you old fart! You couldn't catch me even if you were 20 years younger!" The store owner glowed red with anger at the insult and continued his pursuit. Naruto ran around a corner and the man followed him. When he got around the corner, however, there was no sign of the blond haired brat. He just seemed to vanish into the air. With a loud groan of disappointment and anger, we stalked off back to his shop to salvage what he could.

As soon as the store owner stormed off, a cloth that blended into the wall was dropped to the ground and revealed a grinning Naruto. "Alright! Operation 'Stink Bomb in the Clothes Store' was a complete success!" Naruto quickly stuffed the cloak into his pack that was stashed nearby and walked home with toothy grin on his face.

Hidden in the shadows, two individuals were having a conversation in a tree while watching the young Uzumaki complete one of his pranks.

"Should we really just let him get away with that?" one of the figures asked who was obviously female.

"It's just a harmless prank," the other figure, a man, told his female partner. "Besides, it was just one civilian clothing store this time. If he tried his best, he would have taken down 3 stores without anyone even spotting him."

"I suppose. I am impressed though. He had some good foresight to plant his hidden cloak a block away from the store."

The male figure gave a low chuckle. "Just like usual. I don't know whether to call him an idiot or a genius."

"Still isn't it a little strange to have constant ANBU surveillance on him?"

"…"

"I know he holds the demon inside of him. Are we supposed to make sure he doesn't attack anyone?"

"That's right; you were assigned to ANBU quite recently. No, it's just the opposite. We're supposed to protect him from the dangers in the village."

"When you say dangers, do you mean-"

"That's right. I mean the villagers. Go to the archives in the intelligence hall at headquarters. Look up Uzumaki's file dated two years ago. You'll see the importance of our job there."

"…" She was silent as she watched the little boy walk off without a care in the world.

"Come on. We have to make sure he doesn't get into too much trouble," said the male ANBU before stealthily jumping off the branch and onto the next building. The female ANBU follow behind quickly.

~*~

Laughter echoed through the air high above the village. Naruto was in a good mood after his awesome prank. He was looking at the village from the Hokage Monument with high powered binoculars old man Hokage gave him for his last birthday. He was staring at one point in particular all the while sniggering to himself. That one point just happened to be his latest target, the clothing store from earlier that day. He saw the old store owner take out around a dozen large bags stuffed full of clothes that both stink and have a new sickly color to them. He once again patted himself on the back at his achievement.

"That ought to teach the old fart," he said with a grin. He then set his binoculars down and stretched his arms before laying down on his back and staring up at the cloudless sky. The sun was declining towards the horizon and was starting to turn a shade of orange. That along with Naruto's growling stomach could only mean one thing: dinner time. He quickly stood up and quickly went through the path he took back down to the village. Nothing quite like ramen after a day of pranking the pants off of villagers. Hmm… the pants off of villagers… he'd have to save that one for later…

~*~

Elsewhere, in a lowly lit room full of shelves and cabinets, there was a figure at a table with several papers scattered on around them. Next to them on the table is a mask in the shape of what looks like some kind of deer. The face was shadowed in the low light but it did not seem to be a problem to the figure who was reading over the papers. However, this figure didn't seem to be reading at the moment as her head was face down in her hands.

"I had no idea…" the figure whispered to themselves. It appeared to be female with long tan hair and 6 thick needles holding up a pony tail. "This is well beyond what I thought it would say. This kid…so much suffering…ugh, it's sickening."

"Now you see the importance of our surveillance, Tonakai," a voice said in the shadows. The figure, now named Tonakai, quickly put on her mask and spun around, senbon in between her fingers ready to strike. "At ease, Tonakai." The voice stepped out of the shadows to reveal another ANBU in a bird mask.

"Towa…" Tonakai relaxed and put the senbon away.

"Come on, it's getting late. I know a great bar to go to after work. My treat." Towa said as he pulled of his mask to reveal a young man. "And by the way, when the mask is on, call me 'Tsuru.'

"I'm sorry." Tonakai also removed her mask to reveal a smiling young woman. "Let's go."

~*~

"_Go to the ashen forest…"_

These words seem to echo in the dreams of one Uzumaki Naruto. It was different from older dreams. Usually he'd either be swimming in a giant bowl of miso ramen or he'd have nightmares about a giant fox chasing him to eat him alive. This was neither a good dream nor a nightmare. This dream was empty for lack of a better word. He was floating in darkness and the only thing that was anywhere around him was that voice.

"_Go to the ashen forest…"_

Ashen forest? What was that? The only forests he knew were the ones he played in around the village.

"_Go to the ashen forest…"_

Ugh, this was starting to get on his nerves. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"_Go to the ashen forest…to change your destiny..."_

"My destiny? What about it?"

"_Go to the ashen forest to change your destiny…"_

All of a sudden everything turned red. To the left. To the right. Everywhere he looked, there was nothing but red. He was floating in this sea of red trying to figure out what was going on. That was when he saw them. Needles coming right at him. They were speeding quickly but to him they were in slow motion. Even though he saw them coming, he couldn't move. They came closer and closer to piercing him in the chest. He stared at the needles as they were no more than an inch from hitting him, his eyes wide in terror. Suddenly a bright flash of light and a loud booming noise filled his eyes and ears…

~*~

Thunder boomed as lightning flashed outside the window of Naruto's apartment. This sudden change of whether startled Naruto out of his sleep and caused him to fall to the floor in a heap of blankets. He quickly stood up and walked over to his window to look at the ongoing thunder storm before looking at his clock to find that it was a little after one in the morning. He jumped when another flash and boom exploded into the night sky. That last strike sounded really close by, almost like it was right above him. After a quick glance out the window he decided to try to go back to sleep even though he knew it would be impossible until this storm died down. Naruto just lied down under his covers and stared out the window for a good ten minutes as lightning flashed every once in a while with the thunder sounding farther away with each flash. The rain finally began to let up until it was no more than heavy drizzle.

That was when Naruto noticed the lighting from outside his window. It was feint but he could see an orange glow from his bed. Wondering what was going on, he got out of bed a second time to look out his window. What greeted him beyond that window was a blaze in a nearby forest. It was big and started growing as more trees were engulfed by the flames. He began to panic as it looked like it was heading right to his apartment complex. He had to leave. He quickly got dress and gathered some of his things to take with him and stuffed them in his bag he pulled out from under his bed. Thinking he got enough of his belongings, he quickly ran out the apartment and ran down the stairs to find shelter.

When he ran outside, he was notice that many other people were evacuating as well. Families, couples, those who lived alone, and just about anyone else who lived in his general area were leaving their homes in search for shelter. Then he saw something else. Ninja were jumping on the roof tops and were heading towards the blazing inferno that was once a forest. Heavy smoke was rising in the air as ashes rained down over the village. But even as the ashes fell, he saw a familiar set of robes heading towards the outskirts of the village. Those robes belonged to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, someone who Naruto saw as a grandfather and respected him even if others didn't think he did. With his bag on his back, he followed the Hokage to the scene of the fire trying his best not to be caught.

~*~

"We have to put this fire out now!"

Several ninja were just outside the village to take care of this blaze.

"There's not enough water here for a suiton justu big enough!"

"Try a futon justu then!"

"You idiot! That'll just spread the flames!"

"What do we do then?!"

"We'll have to create a backfire!" Everyone stood at attention as soon as they heard the Hokage's voice. "Everyone, I need teams in sectors 23, 24, 26, 29, and 32 of this forest now! Each team will have one member start a fire towards the flames while the rest of the team isolates it with wind! Go!" After that, the teams took off and head to the destinations that were given by their leader. After a few minutes five new fires were started and heading towards the large flame. It took much time while many ninja nearly collapsed from chakra exhaustion, but the flames indeed snuffed each other out. Everyone cheered at the victory they had gained against nature. The Hokage smiled at his people's cheerfulness and sighed with relief.

"Things worked out in the end, eh Naruto?" The old Hokage said still looking at once green forest.

Naruto came out of his hiding spot with a sheepish grin on his face while scratching the back of his head. "How did you know, Jiji?"

"Naruto, you know you're not supposed to be here in dangerous situations. What if you got hurt?"

"Well, don't worry about it, Jiji. I've got you here. Then when I get older, I'm going to take your job."

The aged Hokage just laughed. "Well then, I'll welcome it."

"But that was cool how you told everyone what to do and put out that big fire! Being the boss is so cool!"

"That, Naruto, is called teamwork. If there is one thing that you should know is that trusting and working with your team will become your greatest strength. Konoha is the strongest shinobi village because of this belief."

"…" Naruto was silent as Sarutobi continued to talk.

"_Go to the ashen forest to change your destiny."_

'_The ashen forest…was this what the dream was talking about?"_ Naruto wondered._ "No…dreams are dreams. It's not like dreams could predict the future. Yeah, that's right. It was nothing more than a dream…right?'_

"Naruto…"

"_But there's still something about this. I feel like something I've been looking for is right in there."_

"Naruto!" Sarutobi's voice startled Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"It's time to go."

"Oh, ok." Naruto looked at the forest one more time before following the Hokage back to the village.

~*~

The walk back was silent between the two and Sarutobi thought that was strange. "Naruto, what's wrong? You're uncharacteristically quiet."

"Huh?" Naruto didn't know what 'uncharacteristically' meant but he got the gist of what the old leader was saying to him. "I was just thinking."

"Of what?" Now Sarutobi was interested.

"Oh, you know. Stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

Naruto's young mind was processing a lie as soon as possible. "You know, like how ramen would taste if they mix miso and pork."

"I…see." He supposed it was too much think that a 7-year-old would have many profound thoughts. Though, that did sound forced. He would dig deeper but it's only natural that kids would have some secrets. He would just let it be.

They reach Naruto's apartment in relatively little time. Everyone else has already returned to their homes and continued their slumber. They entered the apartment complex only to run into a beautiful young lady with long tan hair dressed in a night robe.

"Ahh! Naruto-kun! Where were you? I was so worried that something might have happened to you."

Naruto smiled at the lady. "It's ok, Komachi-nee-chan. I was with Jiji here all this time." This Komachi was Naruto's next door neighbor and one of the few people in the village that were kind to him.

"Naruto, show some respect! I'm terribly sorry, Hokage-sama. Naruto still needs to learn manners."

Sarutobi chuckled at the little display. "No, it's quite alright. I just wanted to make sure he got home safe and sound."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." She said with a bow. "Naruto, what do you say?"

"Thanks, Jiji," he said with his usual smile before running up to his apartment.

"Naruto!" she called out after him but he was already gone. "Honestly, that boy."

"Oh, don't worry about it so much. He's young. Let him live life as a child while he can." At that moment his expression turned serious. When Komachi saw the expression on his face, she herself became quite serious. "Anything new to report?"

"No. Nothing new, Hokage-sama. Other than a prank and heading to his favorite ramen shop, everything was normal."

"I see. He has been acting strange after the incident tonight. I want you to check on him later tonight. If anything happens, I want to inform me as soon as possible."

"Yes, Hokage-sama." She bowed to her aged leader and walked away to her apartment. Sarutobi then left for the Hokage Mansion where both his home and his office is. He often wondered if the Shodaime Hokage was of sound mind when building it. Who would want to sleep at the same place they spent hours upon hours going over and signing paper work all day.

~*~

Naruto was back into his pajamas topped off with his little hippo shaped night cap on his head. However, Naruto had a hard time falling asleep. He didn't know if it was because he was excited from seeing the fire or whether it was when he saw the 'ashen forest' his dream told him about. He tossed and turned but his eyes were wide open. After about 20 minutes of failing to fall asleep, he got out of bed and looked out the window once again. He could see it. The ashen forest. It looked like a huge gray patch of land in the middle of the greenery. He could still see tiny spots of orange glow coming from the trees. The smoke had mostly cleared up and there was no longer ash falling from the sky.

He couldn't take it anymore. He didn't even bother changing back into some clothes but just put on some sandals instead. He pulled out some rope and a grappling hook he kept stashed away in his closet. He couldn't risk going out his door. He didn't know how but, Komachi-nee always seemed to know when he walked out his front door. And knowing her, he'd probably get caught before he made it down the hallway. Carefully opening his window, he attached the grappling hook to the window seal and carefully slid down the rope. He was on the ground in a matter of seconds and he quickly headed back to the same route he used to come from the forest.

It took no more than 10 minutes to reach the burned down forest. There was still heat radiating from the trees but it wasn't hot. It was warm like sitting in front of a heater. He walked into the forest after some hesitation. After all, he didn't even know what he was looking for. Still there was something here. He didn't know what or where it was but he knew that it was something important. But how will he find it?

~*~

Sarutobi Hiruzen could not sleep. He sat at his desk with his pipe in his hand. He was worried about Naruto and his strange behavior. But he didn't want to observe him through using the Tomegane no Justu (Telescope Technique) on his crystal ball. He wouldn't invade anyone's privacy in their home even if it was for Naruto's well being. He strikes a match and lit his pipe all the while puffing on it and letting the tobacco calm his nerves. He then felt chakra being used in his office. "Report," he said without any hesitation.

In a puff of smoke, Tonakai appeared in front of the Hokage's desk kneeling on one knee. "Hokage-sama, Naruto has escaped from his room through the window. He was already gone when I went to check on him and as such do not know where he went."

Sarutobi sighed in exasperation. Sometimes he really hated it when he was right.

"Shall I have a search party look for him?" Tonakai asked.

"No," stated the Hokage. "I believe I know where he's going." He noticed that look Naruto had when everyone was leaving the site of the forest fire. "I will bring him back myself. You go on and return home."

"As you wish, Hokage-sama." With that she disappeared in a puff of smoke and left the old Hokage to his devices.

~*~

Worst idea ever. Naruto was tired of searching. He didn't know how long he was searching for whatever he was looking for but it was taking way too long. He was tired, thirsty, covered in soot, and wanted to get back to his own bed.

"Argh! What was I thinking?!" he ranted. "Coming here because of a stupid dream! 'Go to the ashen forest to change your destiny.' I can't believe I even thought about it." He was so upset, he kicked one of the burned down trees. When he did it began to crack and a piece came off of the side. The fire had weakened a large majority of the trees that were there. As such, the force from Naruto's kick started a chain reaction. The tree Naruto kicked fell over and hit another tree which in turn hit another to the side and slammed to the ground. The shock caused to other trees to fall over towards Naruto's direction. Fear was evident in his eyes as he saw the trees come towards him. He couldn't move. He looked down at his foot to see it caught in some weakened wood. He struggled to pull his foot out but it was no use. He couldn't move. The trees soon fell over with a loud crash and caused the ash to drift into the air.

After the crash, there were some coughing sounds. It took a minute but the ash had finally settled. When it did, Naruto found himself not crushed underneath two trees and his foot was no longer stuck. Then a shadow washed over him, blocking the light from the full moon. He looked up behind him to see that not so pleased face of the Sandaime Hokage looking down upon him.

"Umm…hey there, Jiji," he said in a nervous tone.

"Naruto…" Sarutobi's voice was very cold. "Just what are you doing in this forest? Didn't I tell you not to get into dangerous situations?!"

"…" Naruto couldn't find anything to say. This was not like the times the Hokage caught him doing a prank. Tears weld up in his eyes when he looked at how angry the old man was. "I-I'm sorry." His voice was very soft but Sarutobi heard him just the same.

Sarutobi Hiruzen…Hokage of Konohagakure…one of the most powerful ninja in history…a man who has killed dozens of enemies in his lifetime…and yet he feels guilty for making a 7-year-old shed tears. He sighed as he got down on one knee and looked into Naruto's eyes with a warm smile.

"I forgive you, Naruto. But just what are you doing out here in this weak forest at this time of night?"

"…" He was hesitant to say. He didn't know how Jiji would react to it. No, this was the man that he trusted the most out of everyone in the village. He had to know. "I was told to come here."

"By whom?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"It was a voice in a dream that told me to go to the ashen forest to change my destiny."

"A voice in a dream?" _'Could it be the Kyubi?'_

"I don't know why but when I heard this voice, I felt safe. Like it was telling me this to help me."

"…"

"Then I think it showed me what would happen if I didn't go."

"…What happened?"

"The only thing I remember were needles being thrown at me and almost hitting me in the chest."

"…" The Hokage has seen many things and heard many tales. This was by far the most farfetched tale he has ever heard. But the way Naruto looked and the way he told it, there was no way that this was a lie. "I understand, Naruto. Why don't we come in the morning to see what this means."

Naruto sniffed as he wiped away the last of his tears. "Okay."

"Ok, then. Let's go home." He then stood up and took hold of one of Naruto's little hands. They then began to walk towards the village when Naruto stopped suddenly. "Naruto?"

"Jiji…it's here."

The Hokage looked at the blond child with confusion. "What's here, Naruto?"

"I don't know but whatever it is, it's around here somewhere." That was when he looked at Sarutobi and what the Hokage saw shocked him. Naruto's eyes were no longer the sapphire blue that they usually were. Now they were a pure orange. Not only that, but they lacked pupils that normal eyes did. They reminded him of the eyes of the Hyuga clan but a bright orange.

"This way, Jiji!" He all of a sudden ran in one direction all the while pulling the Hokage along. Naruto ran about 50 yards before slowing down into a stop. He let go of the Hokage and began digging through the ashes in search of something. He dug and dug, pushing mounds of ashes out of the way. That was when he found it. The thing that he was looking for. The thing that had been calling out to him.

Sarutobi looked at what Naruto had found and was amazed. It was bright orange with a smooth oval shape. At first glance, Sarutobi had thought it was a stone. Upon closer inspection, he found out it was something else entirely. "An egg?" But that was impossible. This forest was burned down no more than an hour ago. No living thing could have survived that heat let alone an egg that has not even been born yet.

"Jiji…it's warm. I can feel his heart beating."

His? It was almost like Naruto knew what was in the egg. "Naruto, do you know what that is?"

"A friend…" Naruto held the egg close to his chest. Sarutobi had never seen Naruto like this before. "Jiji…can I keep him? Please?"

Sarutobi stared in fascination. So much has happened in such a short span of time. He found out that a voice in his dream had told Naruto to come to a forest that has been burned down quite recently. When he found and saved Naruto from certain death, his eyes completely transformed into something he has never seen before. Not only that, but he was lead by Naruto to the exact spot of an egg that able to withstand the heat of a raging fire. And now this boy, dirty from ashes and soot, eyes as bright as a setting sun, is asking him to keep said egg in the most sincere voice he had ever heard from the child. He wanted to decline. He wanted to tell Naruto that there could be a dangerous animal in that egg. He wanted lock the egg up and inspect it. But the look that was in Naruto's strange colored eyes was so pure, so happy. If he were to deny this boy this gift that apparently the heavens bestowed upon him, he would forever be ashamed of himself and would not be able to face his deceased successor in the afterlife.

Sarutobi smiled deeply as he got down on one knee, put his hands on the boy's shoulders, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Yes, Naruto. You can keep him."

Naruto smile seemed to grow brighter if that was even possible. Sarutobi expected him to jump and dance around all the while screaming to the heavens. That was when he had gotten another shock.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Unbelievable. Uzumaki Naruto had actually showed respect for once. This was mind boggling. One thing he knew for sure, he needed a couple saucers of sake tonight.

Naruto then began to stroke the egg. "Hear that little guy? I'm going to be your new friend." At that moment, the egg began to glow. This surprised the Hokage but Naruto seemed unaffected. Soon it began to shine brighter. Sarutobi was getting a little nervous as it shone brighter with each passing second. Soon it became blinding where the old Hokage had to shield his eyes. It only lasted for a few seconds, however. The light soon dimmed until the egg no longer glowed. He studied Naruto and found that his eyes had turned back to their normal blue. Forget saucers. He needed a couple of bottles from his secret stash.

"Let's go home, Naruto." He held out his hand to the boy.

"Okay!" Naruto said excitedly. It seems he was back to his normal self. He cradled the egg in his arm and took the Hokage's hand and they were on their way to the village to finally get some sleep.

~*~*~

Well that took longer than I had thought. I am really bad at starting things so things will start off slow. But things will swing in once I get to the usual parts. So please review this time everyone. This is going to be the first chapter of many. Also, I'm still wondering if I should split the normal and future arcs into two stories or keep it all as one epic story. Tell me what you think. After all, I'm open to any suggestions and ideas that might help the story along.


	3. The Altar of Fire

Well, thanks to the few people who reviewed. I see that the egg caught the interest of the readers. Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. Also this chapter is a little short due to it not being planned. Ok let's get this chapter started.

Burning Will of the Inner Fire Chapter 2

The Altar of Fire

~*~*~

The sun had shined bright that morning. The air was completely clear with not a single cloud in the sky. This brighter than normal sun had caused Naruto to stir out of his sleep. He groaned as he opened his eyes which in turn was not a good idea. He groaned louder and shut his eyes to block out the blinding light.

"Ugh…somebody turn off the sun already…" He felt drained which was a strange feeling for him. Naruto was well known to be a ball of never-ending energy. He was able to outrun grown men and women in their prime and yet here he was, tired, sluggish, lazy, and lethargic. He pulled the covers on his head in an attempt to block out the light. After some time, however, he gave up and tossed the covers off of him. That was when he saw it, the orange egg sitting there right next to him on his bed.

He picked it up and looked at it. He just stared at the egg for some time. Then a smile appeared on his face. He had gotten a pet. He then began to imagine all the fun he could have with his new friend. He could play tag with him, teach him the joys of ramen, show him the fun in pulling pranks, and even turn him into a super ninja…animal…thing.

Suddenly, his smile began to lessen until all was left was a look of confusion. How was he supposed to take care of it? He never had a pet before so he didn't know what to do. He didn't even know what was inside this egg. That was when his mind went back to the night before, or earlier that morning if you want to be exact. He remembered everything that happened. Climbing out of his room, going into the forest, almost being crushed, and even the old Hokage being mad at him after saving his life. It was after that when things were a bit hazy. He remembered looking for something in the ashes and finding this egg. He didn't know how, but he knew that it was an egg as soon as he saw it. When he looks at it now, he sees a large stone. It was pure orange and even had a shine to it. He could even see his reflection if he stared at it long enough.

Distractions aside, he still knew nothing about taking care of eggs or animals for that matter. "I guess there's only one thing to do," he said as he got dress. "Time to see Jiji." He would talk to Komachi-nee, but she was always gone in the morning. Naruto just assumed she had a job to go to. After getting dress, brushing his teeth, and eating a quick cup of ramen, he locked the door to his apartment and was well to see the Hokage carrying the egg all the while.

As he walked to the office of the villages leader, he noticed that people on the street were giving him looks. He noticed some of the usual looks he had gotten. Anger, hate, and some other words that was higher than his current vocabulary. But there were many others who had strange looks on their face. What? It's like they never saw a kid walking with a big egg in its arms. All in all, he just ignored them like he usually did on a daily basis. After about 15 minutes, he was at the Hokage's office. He went up the spiraling staircase and got to the floor the old leader's office was on. That was when he heard a familiar voice.

"Naruto-kun!" He looked up to the voice calling him when he saw it was the lady that worked outside Jiji's office. She had shoulder length blue hair that hung freely with blue eyes similar to Naruto's with it only being a shade darker. She looked in her early 20's but when Naruto asked, she just giggled and said it was a secret. She wore a beige colored blouse with a red knee length skirt.

"Ohayou, Kumi-nee!" He said with a bright smile. Kumi-nee was always so nice to him.

"Ohayou, Naruto-kun," she said with a small smile. "My, what a pretty stone that is. And pretty big too. Is that a gift for me?"

"Huh?" Naruto wondered what she meant before looking down at the egg. "Oh! This isn't a stone. It's an egg."

"Huh? It's an egg? I've never seen one like that before. What kind of egg is it?

"Well, I don't know."

"You don't know? Where did you get it from?"

"Well-" he started but stopped when a memory popped into his head. A memory of what Jiji told him after they returned to the village.

"_Naruto, don't tell anyone that you found the egg in the burnt section of the forest. It would be better if they didn't know for now."_

He shook his head before giving her an answer. "I found it in the middle of the forest yesterday. I wanted to talk to Jiji about it because…well…I don't really know what to do."

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. Hokage-sama is in a meeting right now. You can wait here if you want. It should be almost finished."

Naruto sat in one of the chairs and decided to wait for the aged leader to finish whatever old people talked about in those meetings he was in. As he sat there, he held conversations with Kumi about different thinks from dreams he had to the pranks he's pulled to pass the time as he waited for the Hokage.

~*~

Sarutobi hated these little meetings. They were a tax on his already weakened life. He didn't understand why everyone had to meet every time something remotely strange happens. A wild fire caused by lightning didn't seem important enough to summon the counsel but that was probably his old age talking. He just wanted to go back to his office for a little piece and quiet, maybe even smoke his pipe a little. He seemed to be smoking his pipe more and more these days. When he turned a corner, he heard cheerful voices down the hall that got louder as he got closer to his office. As he turned around the final corner to his office, he saw a familiar face talking to his secretary.

"Hey, Jiji." Naruto said as he hopped down from his seat, the egg still in his arms.

"Naruto? What are you doing here so soon?"

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he rubs the back of his head. "Well the thing is…I really don't know what to do with him," he said hold the egg forward. "How do you hatch an egg?"

"Yes, that is understandable. Come into my office so we can talk about it." The Hokage then led Naruto into his office and closed the door behind him. He then walked behind his desk and sat down in his chair before looking at Naruto. "Let me see the egg." Naruto handed it over even though he was hesitant to do so.

"So, Jiji. What do I do?"

"Honestly, Naruto, we don't know anything about this egg," he stated as he inspected the egg. "We can say that this egg isn't normal so normal means may not have any benefits to whatever living creature may be inside."

Naruto blinked in confusion. "So you saying you don't know how to hatch it?"

Sarutobi sighed in mild frustration. He forgot he's talking to a 7-year-old boy. "That's right." He handed Naruto back the egg. "Why don't you just hold onto it for now? I'll see what I can find out." He then stood up and began to lead Naruto to the door. That was when he had an idea. As soon as he opened the door, he called out to his secretary.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" she answered

"How would you like to take the rest of the day off?"

"Well…" She was unsure how to answer. "I would like that, yes."

"Then you can have it under one condition, of course."

She was a bit nervous at the condition. "Yes?"

"You must watch over Naruto for the day."

"Eh?" Naruto wondered what the old man was trying to do.

Kumi, however, thought it over for a second and decided she'll do it. She genuinely liked Naruto so it was no problem. "Alright."

"Splendid! I'll leave everything in your capable hands, Kumi." He then closed the door and walked back to his desk. He sat down in his chair as he let out a weary sigh. Growing old was so troublesome. "Taka, report your findings." At the moment, an ANBU with a hawk mask appeared in a kneeled position before rising.

"From what I have been able to see, the egg seems to absorb a constant amount of chakra from Uzumaki Naruto. Not only that but it seemed to split it in half. One half stays into the egg while the other half is sent back into the boy."

"I see. Chakra is a combination of spiritual and physical energy. By splitting it back to its basic components, it keeps one while returning the other."

"I believe that it absorbs the spiritual energy and returns the physical energy back into the boy."

"Hmm…I thought as much. It would seem to me he has an incredibly massive amount of spiritual energy due to his circumstances."

"Are you talking about the Kyubi?"

Sarutobi took a few seconds before answering. "Directly? No. Though the Kyubi is the cause of it. That is a story for another time, however."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"Were there any changes when I held the egg?"

"The egg did not absorb any chakra from you but it seems to be circulating the spiritual energy that is already inside."

"Tell me. Were you able to tell what was inside?"

The ANBU bowed his head as he spoke. "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but I was not able to clearly see what was inside. All I saw was the form of a living creature. But it seemed to grow as it absorbed more of Uzumaki Naruto's spiritual energy. It was about a fourth away from getting big enough to hatch as opposed to the third from the previous night."

"It seems that Naruto's spiritual energy is causing it to grow at a rapid rate. If this is true, then the egg could hatch at anytime." The Hokage went silent for several seconds as he mulled over this new information. It seemed that whatever was in that egg was an animal that absorbed spiritual energy in order to grow and it only seemed to absorb Naruto's. Would it only take the energy in its growing stage or would it continue after it hatched? What kind of animal was it? What will happen after it hatched? There were still too many questions that needed answering.

As much as he hated to admit it, maybe it wasn't a good idea to let Naruto keep the egg. For all he knows, it could be a demon that would suck Naruto's spirit dry after it hatched. He should have gone with his first thought and kept the egg for study. But then his mind wandered back to the one instant when Naruto found the egg. He had never seen the boy look so pure and full of joy. At least not since he had partially took care of him as a baby.

After that thought, he couldn't help but think that maybe everything was meant to be this way. Maybe there was some higher power in the works that had brought the egg to Naruto. Regardless, he most likely won't be able to get anymore information until the egg actually hatches.

"Thank you, Taka. You're dismissed." And with that, Taka faded from the room and disappeared as if he wasn't there. Sarutobi stood as he looked out his window and looked over his village. The sun was high and there were very few small clouds in the sky. He always found peace at looking down in his quiet village. He really did love everyone that that resided in this village, even those who had darkness in their hearts. His thoughts were pulled back to his former student and the horror that he had done. He then shook his to stop his memories before they took a turn down a road full of sorrow.

"Hokage-sama!" He was brought out of his thoughts by a familiar voice. That was when Kumi, his secretary, came bursting through the doors out of breath.

"Kumi? What's wrong?" he asked before noticing something missing. "Where's Naruto?"

"He's-he's-he's…" she struggled to speak as she gasped for air. "He's gone!"

~*~

"So, Naruto-kun, where should we go?" Kumi asked Naruto who was still holding the egg to his chest. They had just left the Hokage's office and were already walking through the village.

"Let's go to the playground! Please, oh please can we go to the playground?" Naruto asked with the biggest puppy dog eyes that a 7-year-old has ever produced. Kumi couldn't help but laugh at the hyper boy.

"Ok, Naruto-kun. The playground it is then." Naruto grabbed Kumi's hand and made a beeline to the playground. It took no more than 5 minutes to reach there. Naruto was happy to see other kids around his age playing and wanted to join in.

"Naruto-kun," Kumi said, getting Naruto attention. "Why don't you leave the egg with me and go play."

"Ok!" Naruto gave her the egg and ran off. "Thanks, Kumi-nee!"

Kumi sat on a nearby bench to relax and enjoy the sunshine. It was strange how clear the sky was despite the major storm the previous night. She then turned her attention back to Naruto as ran straight to the monkey bars and began to climb with the other kids. However, one by one, the other kids got off of the monkey bars and walked away. He looked down hearted for a second before putting another smile on his face. He climbed down the monkey bars and ran over to an open swing that was in between two other kids. As soon as he started get momentum, the other kids stopped swinging and also walked off. This time Naruto was beginning to become sad. He shook his head and put on another smile though this smile was greatly reduced compared to his other smiles. He walked over to some kids who were playing in the sandbox. He said something to the kids but Kumi couldn't hear. He was mostly likely asking if he could play with them. However, she then saw the kids get up and run away from Naruto, leaving their sandbox toys behind.

The playground was suddenly empty with all except Naruto and Kumi. Saddened for the young boy, Kumi walked over to Naruto with the egg in her arms. She put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. That was when she saw it. Tears…uncontrollable tears pouring down his cheeks. He put his arm to his eyes to both cover his tears and wipe them away. She then lowered herself to her knees and pulled Naruto into a hug. She could hear his light crying gradually build until he was sobbing. She could just feel the loneliness that generated with each sob.

"There, there, Naruto-kun. I'll play with you," Kumi said in a soothing voice. She continued to hold him close until he let everything out. After a few minutes, he began to calm down. His sobbing stopped and he wiped away the last of his tears.

"Thank you," he said in a low voice. Kumi smiled warmly at the young boy.

"Come on. Let's build a sand castle for your little friend here," she suggested as she gave the egg back to Naruto.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. He held the egg tightly in his arms as he and Kumi picked up the left behind toys and began to use them to make a sand castle. Time went by as they played in the sand and the egg never left Naruto's hands the entire time they built the sand castle. After some time has passed, the sand castle was finished, if you could call a mountain of sand with various hole on the side of it and many objects stuck in it a castle.

Kumi then stood up and began to clap the sand off her hands and skirt. "Come on, Naruto-kun. It's almost lunch time. Let's go get something to eat. My treat."

"Oh! Can we get some ramen? Please?" Naruto once again brought out the puppy eyes. Kumi just laughed warmly.

"Ok, just let me go get my purse," she said as Naruto jumped around with excitement. She then walked over the bench she sat on earlier to retrieve her purse. "Alright, Naruto-kun. Let's…" She stopped when she turned around and found that he wasn't even there. She just smiled as she figured that he couldn't wait and already ran to his favorite ramen place. She began her walk to one Ichiraku Ramen.

She knew where the place was so she took no more than 5 minutes to get there. When she moved one of the flaps aside, she was greeted by a cute voice.

"Welcome to Ichiraku!" This voice said. It belonged to a 12-year-old girl with short brown hair.

"I see your father is letting you work here now, Ayame-chan," Kumi said with a smile.

"Ah! Kumi-san! Yes. I'm glad to finally be able to give him a hand. So what will you be having today?"

Kumi then looked around the shop and noticed something out of place. "Where's Naruto-kun?"

"Naruto-Kun? He hasn't come in today."

As soon as Kumi heard that, her eyes went wide and ran out the shop leaving a puzzled Ayame. Kumi ran back to the playground as fast as she could which was pretty quick for a civilian in two inch heels. As soon as she got there, she began to search high and low for any sign of Naruto. However, she was unable to find any trace of him other than the sand castle that was still there.

"What do I do? What do I do?" That was when she thought about it. "Hokage-sama." After that she ran straight to the Hokage residence as quickly as her feet could take her. She got to the building and quickly ran up the stairs to the office of the Hokage. She didn't bother knocking. There was no time. She quickly opened the door and found the Hokage looking out the window at the village. "Hokage-sama!"

"Kumi? What's wrong? Where's Naruto?"

"He's-he's-he's…He's gone!"

"What?! What happened?!" She then began to tell what happened that day up to when he disappeared.

"Taka! Tonakai! Tsuru!" Three ANBU appeared behind Kumi which scared the crap out of her. She hated it when ninja just appeared like that. "We're on a search and rescue mission. The target is Uzumaki Naruto. He was last seen at the play area in the north district. He has been missing for approximately for 13 minutes. Let's go." Then all four of them disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving Kumi alone in the Hokage's office.

~*~

The Hokage and his team appeared in the same playground Naruto and Kumi was in earlier that day. "Taka, I'm counting on you to find him quickly."

Taka nodded as he performed a few hand seals. "Byakugan!" Everyone was silent as they waited for Taka to speak up. "Found him. He's going north by north-east through the forest. His destination seems to be some ruins."

Sarutobi knew what he was talking about. "No, not ruins. An altar."

"An altar, Hokage-sama?" Tonakai was the next to speak up.

"Yes, it's called the Altar of Fire. Other than the name, nothing else is known about it. It has been there even before the creation of Konohagakure." He has been there before to study it. However, no matter how much he inspected it, he did not find anything about it. "Let's go." And with that, they ran into the forest and began jumping from branch to branch.

~*~

Naruto stood in front of the altar. It had a large stone in the center with 3 tall crystal structures surrounding it in a circle. There were no markings, no lines, no strange characters or anything of the sort. All that was there was a small indention in the center of the stone. He walked up to the altar and placed the egg into the indention and walked backwards until he was out of the circle. It was that moment that 4 figures appeared behind Naruto.

"Naruto!"

He looked behind him and saw the Hokage and 3 of those masked guys that he sees from time to time. "Jiji…"

Everyone looked surprised when they saw him. His eyes had once again taken a pure orange color. "Naruto, what are you doing? Why are you here?" The Hokage walked towards the boy before noticing the egg on the altar. "Naruto, what's going on?"

"It's time, Jiji. He's coming."

"Who's coming, Naruto?"

"My friend…" Suddenly, the crystal structures began to glow. Naruto seemed unfazed while everyone else was on edge. The columns grew brighter and brighter until three beams of light erupted from the columns all aimed at the egg in the center. After a few seconds, the beams died down and the crystal columns stopped glowing. Then everyone heard a cracking sound. It was the egg and it had a small crack on the side. Then another small crack appeared. Then another and another. Soon the egg was covered with cracks and began to shake violently as if it were going to explode. And explode it did. It exploded in a bright flash.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the light until it died down. Everyone uncovered their eye and looked on in wonderment.

"Amazing…" Tonakai let out. The other two ANBU were stunned silent.

"Incredible…" The Hokage was just as surprised.

"Wow…" Naruto said as his eyes turned back to their normal blue. "I think I know what to call him. From now on, his name is…"

~*~*~

And that, my friends, is the end of the background chapters. Yeah, I know. I'm completely evil for cutting it off right here. I actually wasn't on planning to make a chapter like this. But since I ended the last chapter with Naruto finding the egg instead of it hatching, I had to at least think of a why for it to hatch.

Now here comes the fun part. I already know what the animal is going to be plus what to name it. So, I'm going to make a game for all my readers. If you are able to guess either the name or the animal, you will get a small prize. Writing omakes to future chapters. If you are able to guess both the name and the animal, I'll give you a chance to be included into the story. I'll give more details if you are able to get it.

Now here's a hint to the game. The name fits the animal somewhat and is similar to Naruto's name. Well, happy guessing.


	4. Revelation

Sorry for the long wait you guys. Laptop caught a nasty virus. Had to be in the shop for a good 2 weeks.

Anyways, I guess my plan to get more reviews was a flop. Oh well. Those who guessed phoenix were right. Just send in any omakes about any chapter you choose and I'll give you the credit.

Ok let's start the beginning of the present day arc.

Burning Will of the Inner Flame

Chapter 3: Revelation

~*~*~

Early morning. Several people are waking up at this time while many others are content just to be in their beds. Naruto was among the latter group. He was enjoying his dream of diving head first into a bowl of his favorite ramen. Yes, that's right. His ramen obsession is not limited to being awake. His dream, however, was rudely interrupted by what seemed to be a clinking sound. He rolled over and tried to ignore it but was unsuccessful.

"Come on, it's too early for this," he said groggily. This did not stop the clinking sound, however. It was then that Naruto's eyes snapped and he stared at the offender with sleepy rage. "Ok! Ok! I got it!"

He jumped out of bed and opened up the window and let out his large bird. It had large orange and red feathers all over its body and its tail feathers were quite long. "And don't take too long! We've got a big day today!"

The bird just screeched out as if in acknowledgement and continued to fly off into the forest. Naruto watched his little friend fly off. He had gotten pretty big over the years. He was about a few of inches higher than his head while sitting on Naruto's shoulder, a little bit bigger than those messenger hawks he saw that one time in the old man's office. He remembers how tiny the bird was despite the egg being quite big.

~*~

The light was bright enough were everyone, including Naruto, had to shield their eyes. The brightness lasted only a few seconds, though, but what they all saw amazed them. It was a very small bird. This bird was rotund with small wings. If anything it looked like a miniature chicken with colorful feathers. Taka and the Hokage were the most surprised at the small size of the bird considering they thought that it would at least be as big as the egg.

"I think I'll call him……Shippuu." Naruto was quick to name the tiny creature as he walked over and picked it up. It was no bigger than the palm of his hand. "Hey there little guy. I'm Naruto. I'm going to be your friend from now on." The bird chirped happily and flapped its little wings as hard as it could to fly. And flew it did. Everyone was surprised for the umpteenth time that day as it began to hover above Naruto's head before plopping down in his blond hair as if it ran out of energy.

The 3 ANBU looked strangely at it. Well, 2 of them looked strangely it while Tonakai looked as though giant hearts would appear through her mask any second.

"So cute!" she gushed.

"You have a strange concept of cute, Tonakai." Tsuru stated while Taka nodded.

~*~

At this moment, Naruto had already finished his morning routine, wearing his orange and blue jumpsuit, and was now eating his breakfast. It was a small meal of toast and juice. Just as he was finishing his meal, he heard a flapping noise at his window. He turned and saw his little feathered friend back from catching breakfast looking very content.

"Ahh, there you are, Shippuu. Right on time. Come on, we don't have much time." Naruto picked up a large bag with his supplies while Shippuu picked up a smaller bag. Making sure he had everything, he closed his window after Shippuu flew out. He then left his apartment, locked his door and quickly ran out the apartment complex. As soon as he was outside, he let out a whistle and Shippuu came flying high in the sky right above Naruto.

"Alright, Shippuu! Let's go!" And Naruto and his pet bird were on their way to their target of the week.

~*~

Sarutobi was at peace. It was a beautiful day and he was finished with the day's paperwork much earlier than expected. There were no meetings nor were there any appointments that he had. Yes, it was one of those rare days where he actually had time on his hands. So he decided to pass the time by doing two of his favorite pastimes, smoking his pipe and calligraphy. He went through the morning with little to no interruptions as he had already completed a few of his calligraphy art. As he went to work on another one he thought that this day could possibly be the most peaceful days he's had in a while.

"Hokage-sama! Come quick!"

And now it's been shot to hell. He let out a weary sigh as he figured out what would cause this commotion and he hoped beyond hope that it wasn't what he thought it was. "What is it? And please don't tell me it's Naruto."

"It is Naruto!" shouted one of the ninja.

"He's defacing the Hokage Monument with paint!" The other present ninja shouted out as well. Sarutobi let out another weary sigh has he put his hat on. He really, really hated when he was right.

~*~

"Cut it out, damn it!"

"You'll pay for this!"

Naruto ignored the shouts at him from below as he continued his handy work. He had his jacket tied around his waist with a can of paint in one hand and a brush in the other. He surveyed his work so far. "Now this is art!" He shouted out loud before bellowing out with laughter. "What do you think, Shippuu?" The brightly colored avian, that flew across the statues leaving a long line of paint across the four faces, called out as if agreeing with him. "Yeah, I thought so too."

Naruto continued this work as if there wasn't an angry crowd of ninja below him ready to teach him some discipline the hard way. He was just about finished when he heard a booming loud voice that caused him to drop his can of paint.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING DURING CLASS TIME, YOU IDIOT?!"

He knew that voice anywhere. "Aww, crap. It's Iruka-sensei." He said to himself. Luckily, he came prepared just in case. "Shippuu! Emergency escape plan 3! Now!"

Shippuu began to circle the ninja on top of the Hokage's estate before dropping multiple smoke bombs and covered the whole roof with smoke, effectively blocking the sight of everyone on the building. When the smoke cleared, Naruto had already disappeared and was nowhere to be found. Shouts from all of the shinobi to find and capture him as they scattered to look. All except two figures had jumped from the roof.

At the bottom of the Hokage estate, the wall seemed to shift and the fall like fabric to reveal a grinning Naruto. "Gotta love the classics," he said as he tucked the cloth in his pack before he walked off. For some strange reason however, he felt like he wasn't going anywhere. He looked down and noticed he was a foot above the ground. That was when he also noticed that someone was grabbing him buy the back of his T-shirt. Slowly he turned around and grinned nervously and scratched the back of his head. "Hey there, Iruka-sensei."

Yes, it was Umino Iruka, Naruto's academy teacher and someone he considers a friend. His expression, however, was anything but friendly. He had a twisted grin of barely contained anger complete with a couple of veins bulging out of his forehead. "So…what do you think of my art?" Another vein popped on Iruka's head as an answer. _'Oh yeah, I'm screwed.'_

~*~

'_I suppose things could be worse.'_ Naruto was sitting in the center of class, tied up like a hostage. Shippuu was on the ledge outside of the window looking into the class.

"Damn it, Naruto. What am I going to do with you?" Iruka asked as he stood in front of Naruto. "The Qualification Exams are tomorrow and things aren't looking good for you." Naruto however just looked away in defiance which caused a vein to pop on Iruka's head once again. "Alright then! Everyone to the front, now! We're reviewing on the Henge no Jutsu, now!" The entire class groaned. Within seconds, everyone was in line and performing the transformation technique one at a time.

"You realize that this is all your fault, Naruto," one random student said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Naruto said as his turn came up. Putting his hand into the rat seal, he summoned as much chakra as he could. No one could see the slightly sinister smirk he had before activating the technique. "Henge!" His figure disappeared in an explosion of smoke. What appeared, though, was not Iruka, but a buxom, nude woman with blond pig tails. Shock was evident on the teacher's face as he eyes seemed to bulge out of his sockets. Two seconds later, he was rocketed off his feet as blood shot out his nostrils like geysers. Naruto's laughter filled the air as he changed back. "How do you like that? It's my Oiroke no Jutsu."

"STOP MAKING UP USELESS TECHNIQUES!"

~*~

"Ugh…I should've used less paint." Naruto was busy cleaning up the paint on the monument with Shippuu on his shoulder and Iruka keeping a close eye on them both.

"You better hurry up, Naruto. You're not going home until you finish up here," Iruka stated in a stern tone.

"So what? Not like there's anyone waiting for me," Naruto said. "Closest thing I have to family is right here on my shoulder." Shippuu seemed to nod his head in agreement. Iruka looked at Naruto with a tinge of guilt before a smile appeared on his face.

"Hey, Naruto…" Upon hearing his name, he looked up at his teacher. "If you finish this in a hurry, I'll treat you to some ramen."

"Really?!" Naruto's eyes seemed to practically glow with the mention of his favorite food. "Alright!" And with than, his speed seemed to triple in speed, amazing his academy teacher all the while. Naruto had finished quickly and soon they were at their favorite restaurant happily eating ramen and chatting away, Naruto bragging how he was going to be better than the previous Hokages while Iruka and the Ichirakus watched with smiles on their faces. Iruka thought back to a conversation he had some time ago with the aged Hokage concerning the energetic boy.

~*~

"Seriously, Hokage-sama, I just don't know what to do with him." Iruka said in an annoyed tone. "He doesn't pay attention half of the time and at times, he just disappears."

Sarutobi just nodded as he took off his hat and placed it on the railing. At the moment, they were standing on the roof of the Hokage Estate, looking over the village. "Studying is not one of Naruto's strong points to be sure. But he is doing better than I had envisioned."

"What do you mean, Hokage-sama?"

"You didn't know him before he found his partner."

"You mean the red winged beast?"

"That's right. Before he found Shippuu, he was more than just a little hand full. Almost every day he would pull prank after prank and would get into serious trouble. He also was always extremely passionate and had a hard time controlling himself. But since he found that winged beast as you so put it, he seemed calmer in comparison. His pranks had lessened from almost every day, to 3 or 4 times a month even if they were more elaborate. He still had that almost unending amount of energy yet it seemed subdued, controlled even. But there was one other thing and it's possibly the most dramatic change."

"What is that?"

The aged leader gave a small smile as he thought back to a certain night. "I have never seen him so happy before he found that egg. Not that smile he plastered on to hide his loneliness. I mean pure, genuine happiness."

"…" Iruka was pretty silent after that.

~*~

He had to admit that the Hokage was right. When he first had Naruto in his class, he expected the boy to be absolutely uncontrollable from all of the rumors he heard and the pranks he had witnessed. But when the boy had something to focus on, he could soak up information almost as much as he does ramen. It was keeping that focus that was the hard part. Regardless he may have not been the best student, or a good student for that matter, but he wasn't the worst in the class. Though it wasn't much of an accomplishment, he was only the third worst right above Nara Shikimaru and Inuzuka Kiba.

'_The Hokage said it had something to do with raising a life other than his own but I wonder.'_ Iruka thought as he continued to spend time with the boy and his bird.

~*~

It was morning and judgment day for one Uzumaki Naruto. Today was the day he would finally become a full fledge ninja, just a stepping stone to his way to become Hokage. He did his usual morning ritual: letting Shippuu out to catch breakfast, showering, brushing teeth, putting on his usual orange jump suit, and running out of his apartment eating breakfast himself before leaving his place. He bound for the rooftops to get to the academy as fast as he could, Shippuu flying right beside him.

It took no time at all to get there. He stood there looking up at the smallish building that he has spent a good amount of his life. He had many memories of the many years with the other genin hopefuls. Some he liked, others he couldn't care less about. A certain raven haired boy came to mind with that last thought. But after he stepped through these doors, he would walk out a genin.

~*~

'_It's not fair.'_ Naruto sat alone on an old swing watching as all the other students were congratulated by their families with an expression that looked like a mixture of sadness, betrayal, and jealousy. '_It was only one mistake.'_ Naruto gave a small smile however when Shippuu landed on his shoulder and trilled as he rubbed his head against Naruto's. "At least I still have you to keep me company." However his expression seemed empty as he hopped of the swing and walked away. He had walked in silence with Shippuu still on his shoulder for a quite some time, wandering aimlessly around the village before a voice startled him.

"Naruto."

He turned around to notice it was once of his teachers. "Mizuki-sensei…"

"Follow me," Mizuki said before jumping onto the rooftops. A few minutes later, both Naruto and Mizuki were sitting on the edge of a high building looking over a section of the village while Shippuu was off on his own. "You shouldn't take what Iruka-sensei said so hard. To tell the truth, he failed you because he didn't think you were ready to survive in this world we live in. He wants you to become stronger. Please try and understand his feelings."

"I still should've graduated though…" Naruto said quietly as he looked off into the sea of trees in the distance.

Mizuki smirked as he looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye. "I guess there's no other choice."

"Huh?"

"I'll tell you a little secret…"

~*~

Naruto smile triumphantly as he ran off carrying the large scroll on his back. For a minute he thought he wouldn't pass if Jiji found him but was luckily able to take care of him with a quick Oiroke no Jutsu. Now all he had to do was get to the spot Mizuki-sensei told him about and learned a couple of skills from this big scroll. Then he'd finally be able to become a ninja. He got to the rendezvous point in little time and saw Shippuu already there waiting for him.

"Alright, Shippuu. Let's get to work," Naruto said to his feathered friend. Shippuu called out as he flew down and landed on the ground next to him. Naruto sat downed and opened up the scroll deciding to go with the first technique no matter how hard it was. "Let's see…Kage Bushin? Aww crap. It had to be one I suck the most at." However, he started on learning the technique. Time had passed as Naruto continued to perfect this technique before moving on to the next one. Minutes turned to hours as the moon began its descent from the sky. After several hours, he had perfected the Kage Bushin no Jutsu. He was tired and out of breath as he landed on the grass with a thud yet he had a huge smile on his face.

He looked over to where Shippuu was to find him over at the opened scroll, just staring at it one section of it. That was when Naruto had noticed that the scroll was opened more than just a few feet and was still rolling along. In a rush of fear, he quickly chased after it. He remembered how mad Iruka-sensei was when he messed up an academy book. He didn't want to think how mad he would be for messing up a secret test scroll. He was able to catch it after it rolled a dozen or so feet. He was rolling it back up when he noticed Shippu still staring at that same part of the scroll.

"Shippuu, what are you looking at?" He looked for the title of that section. "Perfect Flame Manipulation?"

It actually sounded interesting. He was about to start reading that section when he saw a shadow loom over him. He looked up at the figure and saw that it was Iruka-sensei standing over him with a twisted grin on his face. "Naruto, just what are you doing out here?"

"Iruka-sensei! I was wondering when you were going to show up!" he said as he rolled the scroll up and placed it on his back. Shippuu seemed to snap out of his trance and flew up on top of the shack that was there. "I wish you'd came a little later though. I was only able to learn one technique."

"Huh? Is that why you were out here? You were training?"

"Yep! I'm going to show you an awesome technique and you're going to graduate."

"…Naruto, where did you get that scroll?"

"Oh this? Mizuki-sensei told me about it along with this place. He told me that if I learn a technique from it, I'd graduate."

Realization struck Iruka as he added everything together. It was at that moment that he heard the sound of thrown weapons coming their way. Without thinking, he pushed Naruto out of the way and quickly used his arms to cover his body. Several of the kunai found their mark on Iruka but none hit a vital point.

"Bravo, Iruka. You've done an excellent job finding him," Mizuki said from trees.

"I see…so that's how it is," Iruka grunted in pain.

Naruto was confused on what was going on. One of his sensei was attack another sensei.

"Naruto, give me the scroll," Mizuki demanded.

"No, Naruto! Don't give it to him! Protect it with your life!" Iruka shouted as he pulled a kunai from his body. "Mizuki used you to get his hands on that dangerous scroll filled with forbidden techniques!"

"Naruto, there is no point in you having it," Mizuki said smugly. "I'll even let you know the truth about you."

Iruka looked on with surprised. "NO, DON'T DO IT, MIZUKI!!!"

"About me?" Naruto said aloud. "W-what truth?!"

"You know about the Kyubi being sealed 12 years ago? Ever since that incident, the Sandaime Hokage made a decree that everyone in this village knew. Everyone except you that is."

"What?" Naruto looked on in fear. "What decree?! Tell me!"

Mizuki chuckled evilly. "That decree was made so no one would tell you that you are the Kyubi that destroyed the village and killed Iruka's parents. The Hokage sealed you up and this entire village has been lying to you for 12 years!"

Surprise was evident on Naruto's face. "No…NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

Mizuki laughed manically. "It's the truth! Haven't you ever wondered why everyone hated you so much?!"

Realization appeared on Naruto's face. All of the hated glares, being ridiculed and ignored, even what happened to him when he was five. Everything suddenly made sense. "No…no, no, no! Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Chakra erupted from Naruto's body as it responded to his explosive state of mind. No one noticed the bit of red mixed into the sea of blue chakra.

~*~

"Yes. Finally, my slumber has been broken." A large shadow of a beast behind giant steel bars had risen. He then charged the bars at full speed. However, once it hit the bars, they glowed with what looked like white lightning which caused the beast to roar with pain before calming down. "No matter. The human has had a taste of my power. This seal won't hold forever. All I need is one opportunity and I will be free from my prison. It is only a matter of time. After all, time is of no matter to me." The beast let out a toothy grin showing its large, razor sharp fangs and fiery red, slit eyes.

~*~

"Everyone hates you, even Iruka!" He said as he took his giant shuriken and began to spin it. "No one would even care if you die right here! So DIE!" he yelled has he though his shuriken.

Naruto saw the large shuriken coming. He had to move. He wanted to move. But he couldn't. He was frozen on the spot. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to come. It never did. He opened his eyes to see Iruka no hunched over him. He didn't understand. Wasn't Iruka supposed to hate him? "Iruka-sensei…W-w-why…?"

"I'm sorry, Naruto." Tears began to pour down Iruka's face. "I never realized how much pain you were in. I wish I had done a better job. If I had, you wouldn't have had to feel like this."

Naruto didn't know what to say. There was so much going on in his head. Fear. He was afraid. He had to get away. With little hesitation, he got up and ran. Ran as far as his legs could carry him. He did not stop even after he heard Iruka call his name.

He ran and ran until he couldn't go any farther. He sat down with the scroll in his arms trying to sort everything that had happened as well as catch his breath. Yet no matter how much he thought, he was too emotional to figure anything out. It wasn't long until he heard voices coming from an opening he was near.

"I won't hand the scroll over to a bastard like you." Naruto recognized Iruka's voice.

He heard Mizuki chuckle. "Don't you get it? With that scroll, you could do anything you want. That demon wouldn't miss a chance to use that kind of power."

"……You're right…"

Naruto expression showed great pain from hearing that. _'So it's true. Even Iruka-sensei thinks of me as a demon.'_

"A demon would do something like that. But Naruto is different." Naruto eyes widened. "He may not be the best but he's my student. He's not the Kyubi. He's the hero of this village. He's Uzumaki Naruto." At this point, Naruto couldn't stop crying. He was so happy.

Mizuki, however, looked disgusted. "Tch…I was planning on killing you later…" he started as he grabbed his second giant shuriken. "…but I've decided to finish you off right now. Die."

Mizuki charged at Iruka with the full intention of finishing him. Pulling his arm back, he was ready to release his weapon and let it fly at its immobile target. His attack was interrupted when pain was suddenly registered in his jaw causing him to fall back quite a few yards which sent his shuriken flying off in a random direction. He looked up at his assailant to find it was the demon brat. "You little bastard…"

"Don't you dare lay a hand on Iruka-sensei. You do and I'll fucking kill you."

"What the hell are you doing, Naruto?! Get out of here!"

Mizuki let out a maniacal laugh. "You kill me?! You bastard! I'll kill you in one move!"

"Go ahead, asshole. I'll return a thousand fold."

"Then show me what you can do, demon brat!"

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

After a huge puff of smoke, everywhere he looked, Naruto was in his vision.

"Hey! Come on! Weren't you going to kill me in one move?" Each of the clones was saying something. The more Mizuki looked around, the more he panicked.

"Well then, looks like I get the first move." Mizuki's scream could be heard for miles as he received a beating unlike anything he has ever faced.

One serious beat down later.

"I think I over-did things a bit," Naruto said as he looked over Mizuki's beaten and unconscious body. He thought about it for a bit. "Nah," he said before he gave him one more swift kick in the ribs.

"Hey, Naruto, come here." Iruka called out. "I have something for you. Close your eyes." Naruto did as he was told. Very little time has passed before Iruka said something again. "Ok, open them." Naruto opened his eyes to find that his goggles were in Iruka's hand while his hitai-ate was missing. "Congratulations. You graduate." Naruto reached his forehead and felt the metal plate covered with small scratches. It was a real hiati-ate. What more, it was Iruka-sensei's. "And to celebrate, I'll treat you to ramen tonight."

He couldn't hold it in anymore. "Iruka-sensei!" He tackled the teacher into a hug as Shippuu seemed to fly overhead letting out loud cries.

~*~

Naruto sat on his bed and looked at the hitai-ate that was given to him. He finally did it. He was on his road to becoming Hokage.

It wasn't long after the sun had risen that the search party had found the 3 of them. They had taken Iruka-sensei to the hospital and that bastard Mizuki to somewhere. He guessed it was jail for ninja or something. Naruto, however, had been taken to the Hokage. He told his side what happened and Jiji just seemed to nod and understand. He looked a bit upset but he wasn't mad. Naruto hadn't mentioned the Kyubi. He honestly didn't want to talk about that at the moment. He felt tired. More tired than ever before and just wanted to sleep.

He set the hitai-ate on his dresser and climb into his bed as Shippuu went to his corner. He quickly nodded off into the land of slumber with a content smile on his face.

~*~*~

And that is chapter 3 everyone. Once again, I'm sorry for the wait. So as a treat to y'all, my own omake.

~*~

The light was bright enough were everyone, including Naruto, had to shield their eyes. The brightness lasted only a few seconds, though, but what they all saw amazed them. It was a large yellow mouse thing with pointy ears and a zig-zag shaped tail.

"Pika?" it spoke.

"Umm…this isn't right." Naruto spoke as he scratched his head.

~*~

The light was bright enough were everyone, including Naruto, had to shield their eyes. The brightness lasted only a few seconds, though, but what they all saw amazed them. It was a coupon for a free order of dango at a popular place in the village.

Tonakai quickly snatched the coupon out of Naruto's hands. "Awesome! I love this place!" She then ran off back to the village while everyone else just stared in her direction.

~*~

The light was bright enough were everyone, including Naruto, had to shield their eyes. The brightness lasted only a few seconds, though, but what they all saw amazed them. It was a red headed swordsman in a scarlet gi and white hakama.

"I do not know how I got here, that I don't," said the swordsman.

"That's it! I give up!" Naruto cried out and walked. "Someone call my agent so I can have someone to yell at! I'll be in my trailer!"

Everyone else was silent for quite some time after Naruto stormed off. The silence was broken with Taka. "Sooo……we still get paid, right?"

~*~*~

Review! They give me a good buzz!


	5. Comrades

Yeah, I know I'm super late. I'm not gonna make any excuses. Let's just get right to the story.

Burning Will of the Inner Flame

Chapter 4: Comrades

"I'd like to congratulate everyone here for making it to genin status. This is the first step to your career as ninja. The role of a ninja-" Naruto just blocked out everything else that Iruka was saying. He respected the guy, even cared for him. But he had a habit of longwinded speeches and dull lectures that always managed to put him to sleep. Shippuu was on his desk facing the front, just standing there. His feathered companion was acting kind of strange since he looked at the scroll.

_'Perfect fire manipulation, huh? Makes me wish I had more time to read it,'_ he thought absentmindedly as Iruka continued to talk.

"I will now call out the names of the three-man squads that will be taught under a jonin captain," Iruka said, bringing Naruto out of his thoughts.

"Three-man teams?"

"What's all that about?"

"Weren't we supposed to just start missions?"

The chatter began to increase higher and higher before Iruka brought the classroom back in order. "Alright, settle down! The jonin are in charge of training you as well as teaching you what it means to become a ninja of Konohagakure."

Naruto just sighed as Iruka called out the names. He wondered who he was on going to be teaming with. _'I wouldn't mind being on the same team as Sakura-chan. _

"-maki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your captain will be Hatake Kakashi." Naruto sighed when the names were announced. _"Great. Why him of all people?" _Sakura, however, was ecstatic while the young Uchiha had a slight frown on his face along with several other girls in the class.

Iruka continued the rest of the names on the list until each student were in a squad. "You will be meeting your captain after lunch. Until then, you're free to do as you please." Iruka then left the classroom as everyone file out to do as they please. Naruto walked out of the classroom with Shippuu on his arm. He went to the roof of the building and looked over everyone talking to their new teammates. He figured he should do the same but he honestly didn't feel like speaking to anyone. He lured Shippuu to the railing and let him sit there.

"Hey, Shippuu. What's up with you? Ever since we took down that bastard Mizuki, you've been acting different." Shippuu just stared at Naruto. It's been almost a week since that incident and it still affected the boy to some degree. Finding out you had a four-legged, nine-tailed personification of pure evil inside of you is enough to shake anyone. But if it wasn't for Iruka, he wouldn't be here today. Naruto lightly petted his feathered friend's head before letting loose a small smile. "I'm still me. That's not going to change over finding out something like this."

Shippuu was quiet. Instead he flew off the railing and landed on Naruto's head, a place he hasn't made himself comfortable since he was a hatchling. Naruto winced a bit has Shippuu's talons dig into his skull slightly. It wasn't enough to draw blood but is still hurt. However, he just grinned and bared it. He wasn't going to deny his closest companion something as simple as this.

Time had pass after Naruto walked back to the room with Shippuu still on his head. The other new genin filed into the room not much longer after Naruto was in his seat. Soon the room was once again full and all the squads were waiting on their new teachers to come and get them. One by one, the teachers showed up and left with their teams in tow until all but three students were left in the classroom. These three students were one Uzumaki Naruto, one Haruno Sakura, and one Uchiha Sasuke. To say these three were annoyed was a huge understatement.

"Three hours," let out certain grumpy blond as he leaned back in one of the chairs. "Three fucking hours! When the hell is this so called captain going to get here?" He had let Shippuu outside about 15 minutes ago as the large bird was feeling cooped up.

"Can it, Naruto," said Sakura, who was equally grumpy. "It's bad enough that we're on the same team. Could you at least be tolerable enough to wait?"

Naruto just grumbled certain nonsense about how all late people should drop dead. Sakura decided not to point out that he had to be dragged to class several times lest he becomes an even bigger pain in the ass. Naruto, however, was contemplating on how he would pay whoever was coming back. He thought briefly on using the old eraser-in-the-door gag. But that didn't have enough satisfaction to what he was feeling. No, first he'd have to find out more about this teacher before doing any of the good stuff. After all, his pranks were an art form and simple stuff just didn't do it for him anymore.

It was 10 minutes later that the door slid open to reveal a tall guy with silver, spiky hair that seems shifted to one side. He wore a mask and his hiati-ate covering his left eye. The man looked at them with an almost uninterested look as he took note of the three surprised yet very annoyed faces. "Follow me," the man said simply before walking away. The three looked at each other before Sasuke and Sakura left to follow him. Naruto went to the open window and let out a piercingly loud whistle before following the others.

The four of them sat on the roof, the three students facing the captain. "Alright, let's start with introductions," he said.

"Umm…Just what would you like to know?" Sakura asked.

"Likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams of the future, things like that."

"Umm…why don't you introduce yourself first?"

"After all, you did keep us waiting for 3 hours!" Naruto added in but was ignored.

"Well…I'm Hatake Kakashi. I don't want to tell you my likes and dislikes. My dreams? Hmm….well I have a lot of hobbies."

The silence between the four of them was filled with tension. Naruto wanted test his kunai on the guy who was suppose to be their sensei. Sakura was more than a little annoyed that all she learned was his name while Sasuke thought that this guy was an idiot.

"Ok, you on the right," Kakashi said as he pointed at Naruto. "Go."

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto," he started as Shippuu flew down and landed on his shoulder. "This here is Shippuu. My likes are ramen and training while his likes are hunting and flying around the village. My dislike is the time it to make ramen while his is being ignored. You do and he'll give you a present you won't like. Our hobby is pranks and let me tell you that no one has escaped from our pranks. No one… My dream is to become Hokage of the village and show everyone just who I am!"

_'Well, he's different I'll give him that,' _thought Kakashi. "Ok, then. Next."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," the onyx hair boy started not moving a single inch as he spoke. "I don't like anything and I have a lot of dislikes. I have no dreams, only an ambition. I'm going to restore my clan and kill a certain man."

Kakashi inwardly sighed at the mindset of the last Uchiha. _'Somehow, I knew it would've been like this.'_ "Alright. Last one."

Sakura blinked before starting her introduction. "My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are…well…" she paused to look at Sasuke before squealing to herself even though everyone heard her.

He didn't even bother paying attention to the rest. '_Great, a girl with a romantic obsession.'_ Kakashi decided then and there that this was the most mismatched team he has ever seen. "Ok, now that the introductions out of the way, I'll get right to good stuff. Tomorrow we'll begin our first assignment."

"Finally!" Naruto shouted out. "So what's our first assignment?"

At that Kakashi gave a dark chuckle. He saw that it sent shivers down their tiny spines and enjoyed the looks on their faces. "Do you really want to know? Well then tomorrow, we'll be doing survival training." This sent up a big question mark in their heads.

"Umm…Kakashi-sensei, we've already done survival training," Sakura put in.

"Ahh but this is different from what you've been through. It's going to be you three against me. Oh and here's the ringer. If you fail tomorrow's assignment, you'll be sent back to the academy for another year of books and practice."

This new information struck a chord in all three of them. Kakashi just smiled under his mask at their expressions. Oh how he enjoyed tormenting young souls. "Show up at the training field in these pamphlets at the allotted time," he said passing out said pamphlets before walking away. "Oh and by the way, I'd advice against eating breakfast tomorrow. You might throw up. Ja ne." And with that, he was gone in a puff of smoke leaving behind three genin hopefuls.

The next morning, the three of them arrived in the training field at the appointed which was sometime before sunrise. Naruto was groggy as he spent much of his time and energy the previous night beating a dummy with Kakashi's picture on it to get rid of some pent up anger. Sakura wasn't doing much better and Sasuke looked pretty much as he always did. However, if you look closely, you could see the slightest of dark circles right under his eyes.

And so the three of then started to wait.

….and they waited…

…and waited…

…and waited some more…

A few hours later, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke not too far away from them. "Hey there, good morning!"

"YOU'RE LATE!" cried an angry Sakura while Sasuke glared at the jonin.

Kakashi looked around when he noticed that his testees were one count shy of a full squad. "Where are the orange ramen addict and his pet?"

They said nothing as Sasuke walked over to a tree and gave it a swift kick. An orange blur fell from a branch and landed on the ground with a thud. "Ow, ow, ow…" it said as it got up to reveal Naruto. "What the hell…HEY YOU'RE LATE!" he yelled when he finally noticed Kakashi. Shippuu was sitting on a low tree branch from another tree.

"She already said that," the veteran ninja said as a sweatdrop appeared on the back of his head. He then pulled out an alarm clock and placed it on one of the 3 tall stumps. "Ok, this clock is set to noon. Your task is to take these bells from me before time is up," he said holding up two bells. "If you don't get a bell then you don't get to eat lunch. Not only that, I'll tie you to one of these stumps here and eat my lunch in front of you."

The three of them understood the real reason why they were told not to eat lunch. Naruto wanted to kill the guy even more. "Wait a second," Sakura said when she thought about it. "Why are there only two bells?"

"That way one of you will still be tied to the post and go without lunch. And the one who doesn't get a bell will fail and gets sent back to the academy." The expressions on the three genin hopefuls' faces turned grim. "You can use anything you have in your arsenal including shuriken and kunai. If you want a chance to pass then you'll have to come at me with the intent to kill."

"But what if you get hurt?"

"Yeah, it's three of us and one of you. Don't cry when you start bleeding all over the place." Naruto added in smugly.

"Those who boast about skills they don't have are usually the first to go. After all being lucky to be here doesn't count as a skill," said the jonin as he tied the bells to his pants.

A vain appeared on Naruto's head. No one insulted his skills he worked so hard to get without a beating. "Shippuu!" With that, he charged with a kunai in his hand as another kunai fell from the sky. Before anyone say, however, Naruto was stopped in an instance while his arm twisted behind him and his kunai aimed at his neck while the second kunai was under his neck.

"Easy there. I didn't even say start." Kakashi said with a chuckle as he let go of Naruto and put the second kunai in his own weapon pouch. "And I thought you were nothing but a bunch of brats. I think we might actually get along just fine."

The silence hung in the air as the 3 began to see how powerful their sensei really is.

"Now let's begin. Ready? Start!" And with that the 3 genin disappeared in a burst of speed.

Everything was quite in the large clearing that Kakashi was standing in. _'Ninja must be able to conceal their presence. Well it seems that they have that down,'_ he thought as he turned around.

"Oi! Me and you! Right here, right now!" Naruto stood there pointing at Kakashi while the sensei looked back at the boy as he sweatdropped.

"You're a bit different. And I don't mean that in a good way."

"The only thing different here is that lopsided broom you call a head!" Naruto charged ahead but backed off quickly as he saw Kakashi reach in his weapon pouch.

"Lesson one in ninja combat: Taijustu. Are you ready to learn?"

_'Why is he reaching for a weapon then?'_ Naruto prepared himself for whatever weapon Kakashi was going to take out. To his surprise, however, the silver-haired jonin pulled out not a weapon, but a small, orange book. Regardless to say, Naruto was not prepared for it. "Oi! What the hell's up with the book?"

"Well, I felt like reading. Don't worry. Against you three it wouldn't matter if I was reading or not," he said as he flipped a page. This, however, was all Naruto could take from this guy.

"You're pissing me off!" Naruto charged in with an awkward punch that was easily blocked. He then followed up with a wide kick that Kakashi crouched just as easily. Naruto then finished up with a straight punch. However, Kakashi just seemed to disappear from Naruto's sight.

"You shouldn't leave your back wide open," he heard behind him.

"Naruto! Get out of there! He'll kill you!" he heard Sakura yell from somewhere.

_'Too late.'_ "Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ogi..." What Naruto felt could be described in one word: hell. "Sennen Goroshi!" And he was launched clear into the air grabbing his ass in pain.

Over in the bushes, two pairs of eyes watched on in embarrassment and dismay at the display.

_'Great…a sensei who's as big as an idiot as Naruto.'_ Sasuke thought as he hid his face behind a hand in shame.

_'Please don't tell me this is who's going to be teaching us!'_ Sakura though with a disgusted look on her face.

All of a sudden, Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke as he reached his arc. Kakashi was mildly surprised while the other two were wide eyed at their disappearing teammate.

_'Hmm…so I've been fighting a kage bushin this entire time. He's not as dumb as people make him out to be.'_

_'What the hell? He disappeared!'_

_'That wasn't kawarimi. Just what was that?'_

Then there were suddenly several puffs on the field that revealed a dozen extremely irritated clones of Naruto. "Oi…I'm going to pay you back for that," one said. Some were cracking their knuckles with grins twisted by anger.

"Quite a few kage bushin you got there, Naruto," he said nonchalantly as he put his book back in his pouch. Two charged at him with their fists raised to punch. He easily dispelled them with two quick jabs. Suddenly, another puff of smoke exploded behind him and he felt his arms restricted. He turned his head to see another Naruto letting out a semi evil chuckle.

"And you just said not to leave your back open," he said as the other clones grab hold of him to weigh him down. "This is for being a pain in my ass!"

He let his fist fly into his offender. The one he punched, however, turned out to be himself. He looked at the clones he just punched before looking around. "Dammit! He got away!" He yelled in frustration. Sakura and Sasuke watched as one Naruto called his bird, gave him something that they couldn't see before flying off with it in his beak, and disappearing in a puff of smoke along with the rest.

Sasuke jumped off the branch to go deeper in the forest to look for their so-called sensei. Sakura stayed in her spot for a couple of seconds longer looking at the empty clearing Naruto, or at least his bushins, was in before heading into the forest to look for Sasuke. In a bush in the other side of the forest, the real Naruto sat as he thought about what to do next.

"Ugh, that bastard of a sensei. Using a move like that on me even if it was a bushin." He then let out a small sigh. "But he really is too strong. I couldn't beat him with my best technique. I guess there's no other choice. I'll have to-" At that moment, he heard a loud scream coming from inside the forest. "That's Sakura-chan!" He rushed off into the forest without missing a beat.

When he got there he saw Sakura on the ground passed out but unharmed. "Oi, Sakura-chan. Wake up," he said as he shook her shoulder gently.

Sakura stirred when she heard someone calling her name. _'Oi, Sakura. Wake up.'_ That image was still very strong in her mind as she began to open her eyes. When she did, she saw a burry and shadowed image of a young man in front of her and immediately thought it was Sasuke. In which case, she suddenly hugged his mid section as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"You're ok! Oh, thank god! I really thought you had died!"

"Oi, he didn't even touch me. There's no way I'll die without completing my dream," the figure said as he returned her hug.

Strange…this didn't sound like her Sasuke-kun. She stopped crying and looked up at who she was really hugging. What she saw was Naruto with his usual grin. "Yo." Sakura then clinched her fist as a vain popped on her forehead.

A minute later, Naruto was face down on the ground with a bump the size of an orange on his head while Sakura was a few feet away trying to regain her composure. "Sakura-chaaaan, that was mean."

"Quiet you! Trying to take advantage of me in my fragile state!"

"Oi! You were the one who hugged me!" Naruto said as he sat up and pointed at her.

"Quiet!" She then picked Naruto up by his jacket and shook him violently. "And if you tell anyone what happened, there's going to be a new level of pain in store for you."

"Alright! I got it! Just…stop…shaking…me!" She then let him go. "Speaking of other people, we have to find Sasuke."

Sakura gasp as she remembered what she saw before she passed out. "That's right! We have to find him! He could be in trouble!" She then took off running in a random direction.

"Oi, Sakura-chan! Wait up!" And Naruto followed in pursuit.

"Damn it! The deference in our power is just too great." Sasuke said out loud while he was buried into the ground up to his neck. It was at that moment that Sakura emerged from the bushes at a fast pace. When she noticed Sasuke, though, she was stopped dead in her tracks.

"Nooo! His head was chopped off!" she then passed out again.

"She's supposed to be my teammate?"

It was then that Naruto came through the same bushes. "Oi, Sakura-chan! What happened?" He then noticed the head of one Uchiha Sasuke sticking out of the ground. Silence hung in the air as their eyes met. The silence was suddenly shattered by Naruto's roaring laughter. He fell to the ground and held his sides to try to ease the pain of his diaphragm but when he looked at Sasuke again, he just laughed harder. Veins were popping all over the trapped boy's head as Naruto continued to laugh. "I don't know whether to dig you out or water you!"

"Just shut up and get me out!"

Five minutes, one dug out boy, and one revived girl later, the three of them sat in that small clearing.

"I think we should just give up. There's no way we can get those bells," Sakura said in a defeated tone.

"There's no way in hell I'm giving up!" Naruto cried out.

"But he's just too strong! It'd be better if we try next time."

"This is a waste of time. I'm going to go get that bell on my own," Sasuke said as he stood and turned around to walk away.

"You won't get it, you know. You'll just end up being planted again." Naruto called out which stopped Sasuke from walking away. "Listen, Hokage-jiji told me something when I was a kid. He said 'Trusting your team will be your greatest strength. It's how Konoha became the strongest hidden village in the Elemental Countries' or something like that."

"So you're trying to say is that we need to work together?" Sakura asked.

Naruto just grinned. "Exactly."

"That still doesn't solve the two bells dilemma," Sasuke put in.

"Don't worry, we'll just have to kick his ass so hard, he'll be forced to pass all three of us." Naruto said confidently before letting out a loud whistle. "And I've got just the plan to take him down." Shippuu flew down and landed on Naruto's waiting arm. Shippuu dropped the item he had been carrying that they haven't been able to see. But now they see what it was and it brought some sinister grins from all three of them.

"Not bad. You're not as dumb as I thought," Sasuke said beginning to see Naruto in a different light.

"I was wondering what you gave him," Sakura said out loud.

"I still haven't gotten revenge from that attack earlier," Naruto chuckled evilly. "How about a little pay back? After all, it's the perfect time for a prank. Don't you think, Shippuu?" Shippuu let out a trill sound that sounded like an acknowledgment.

Things have been relatively quite now. He actually had time to read his 'novel' in peace. He doubted these kids would try anything in the last five minutes left on the clock. He was proven wrong, however, when he saw Naruto walk out of the bushes and his eyes didn't resemble one who was defeated.

"Oh? So you want another go at it then?" Kakashi said as he turned another page of his book. Naruto stood there with his arms crossed in front of him as more and more Narutos began walking out of different areas of the forest. Soon the clearing was full of copies of the blond ninja each stood poised for attack. Soon several were charging at a time in order to overwhelm him. However, Kakashi was dispelling them so easily, he didn't look the least bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, Kakashi's eye widened before he jumped into the air, just barely dodging the fire that one Naruto was spewing out his mouth and landing just outside the army of clones.

"Tch! Almost had him," 'Naruto' said before being enveloped by a puff of smoke to reveal Sasuke using the Henge no Jutsu. Kakashi studied Naruto times 20 plus Sasuke when he noticed something was missing from this equation. His eyes widened a second time as he dodged several kunai and shuriken aimed at him. However, he didn't get out of it totally unscathed. One of the Kunai managed to cut open his weapon pouch when he was in mid air. As a result everything spilled out, including his precious book. He reached out to grab it but it was promptly snatched out of the air by a large orange and red bird. The bird zoomed over to one Naruto and dropped the book in his hand. Without missing a beat, Naruto through down a smoke bomb which enveloped him, Sasuke, and the clones while also causing Kakashi to cover his eye. When the smoke cleared, there were only three figures left: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. But his attention wasn't on the three kids. No, his attention was on the three identical, orange books that were in each of their hands.

"Oi, Kakashi-sensei! How about we play a little game?" Naruto said as he held the book in front of him. "You guess which one is your book and if you're right, then you get it back with no fuss. But if you get it wrong, then you give us a bell."

Kakashi, however, didn't seem too perturbed by this development. In fact, he let out a low chuckle that sounded all too creepy to the young charges.

"Oi! What's so funny?"

"Do you really want to know?" Kakashi said in a creepy voice. A loud ringing sound suddenly filled the air. "Your time is up."

"What? No! Just when we were about to win this!" Naruto yelled.

"Now, where is my book? I know those are all fakes," Kakashi said in a low voice that just screamed hostility as he walked over to them.

The three of them flinched when the saw the look in his eye. The three books disappear in a puff of smoke as Naruto pulled out the real book from his jacket. "H-here you go, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi plucked the book out of Naruto's hands and put it in his vest seeing as his weapon pouch was torn. "I believe some punishment is in order."

The three of them chuckle nervously when they saw he was smiling but looked nowhere near happy.

A few minutes later, three hungry genin were shown tied to the posts as they watch Kakashi eat his food with his back turned to them. The growling in their stomachs was a testament on how hungry they were. Minutes felt like hours as Kakashi slowly ate his lunch as if he was going slowly on purpose just to make them suffer.

"Gochisosama deshita…" He said as he set the empty bento to the side with the chopsticks. "Now, it's time to reveal the results of your test. None of you were able to take a bell from me so there is only one way this could end."

The three of them looked crestfallen but were willing to accept their fate. "You pass."

"Eh?" The three of them questioned. Surprise and confusion were evident on their faces.

"But we didn't even get a bell!" Sakura said.

"It doesn't matter. The three of you were able to find the answer of this test even if it was near the end."

"Huh? What answer is that?" Naruto asked being more confused as Kakashi talked.

"Teamwork."

The three of them brightened a bit when they realized what he meant.

"The reason why you were put into three man squads was so you could learn teamwork. Take a look at this stone here." Kakashi said as he pointed at a large stone with several names carved into it. "These are the names of the heroes of this village. These are all people who lost their lives while on duty. My best friend's name is also on here."

There was a short silence. "Kakashi-sensei…" Sakura let out in a low voice.

"If you take anything from this test, remember this well. Those who break the rules are trash. But those who don't take care of their comrades are lower than trash." He then looked them straight in the eyes. "You three are comrades from this day forward. You must fight for one another, protect one another, and if you don't have unity, someone will die."

The three of them began to see Kakashi in a difference sense from earlier this morning.

"Team 7 is now an official squad. We will begin our first mission tomorrow."

Naruto and Sakura began to cheer while Sasuke just smiled. "Oi, Kakashi-sensei. Can you untie us now?" Naruto asked with a hopeful look.

"Now why would I do that? This is punishment after all," Kakashi said nonchalantly.

"What?" Naruto and Sakura said simultaneously while Sasuke growled.

"Well then, meet me at the bridge tomorrow morning and we'll go get our first mission. Ja ne." and with that, Kakashi walked away, leaving three hungry, new instated genin as they yelled and cursed their sensei.

And here is chapter 4. I'll finish chapter 5 really soon to make up for my long update. Read and review! It's my chocolate cake!


End file.
